Backrest vs Custom Backup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Backrest
Web UI and orchestrator for Restic backups
VS
Custom Backup
Backup extra paths not already managed by YunoHost backup feature
| Feature | Backrest | Custom Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Language | TypeScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,071 | ★ 4 |
| First released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Backblaze | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Custom Backup if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Shell
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Backrest or Custom Backup better?
Neither is universally better. Backrest has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Backrest and Custom Backup free and open-source?
Yes. Backrest is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Custom Backup under AGPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Backrest and Custom Backup with Docker?
Backrest: yes. Custom Backup: check the project docs for container support.